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Tag: Nigeria News

El-Rufai presents budget of N216.5bn for 2018

Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Thursday presented an Appropriation bill of N216.5 billion for the 2018 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.

El-Rufai, in the budget tagged, “Budget of Consolidation”, explained that N131 billion was earmarked as capital expenditure, representing 60.5 per cent, while N85 billion was set aside for recurrent expenditure, representing 39.4 per cent.

According to him, capital expenditure is allocated 60 per cent because of the administration’s resolve to spend more and invest in the people.

“Under capital expenditure, the Social Sector received the largest chunk of N51.4 billion; Economic Sector, N38 billion; General Administration, N26 billion; and Real Sector, 14 billion.”

He said that the Social Sector, comprising education, health and social development took the lion share of 39.2 per cent of the budget so as to promote social justice through human capital development.

“We envisage starting the year with an opening balance of N10 billion with internally generated revenue of over N42 billion and statutory allocation from Federation Account of over N34 billion.

“The recurrent expenditure estimate for 2018 are projected to be broken down as, public desk charges, that is payment of loans and other facilities estimated at over N4 billion with consolidated revenue fund charges at over N1 billion.

“Others include, personnel cost, N40 billion; overhead cost, N44 billion; and 10 per cent statutory transfers from the state to local government areas, totaling over N85 billion.

“The breakdown of the capital account for 2018 as projected would be transfers from the recurrent budget surplus of over N2 billion and over N13 billion from value added tax.

“Others are over N800 million as internal loans as well as N89 billion as external loans, internal grant at over N9 billion while external grant stands at over N4 billion.”

He added that the state would raise over N11 billion from sales of government quarters.

Receiving the budget estimates, the Speaker of the assembly, Alhaji Aminu Shagali, assured of the assembly’s commitment to diligently scrutinise the document for the benefits of the people of the state.

Shagali said that legislative arm would support the executive in ensuring peace and social justice in the state.

He added that the House would ensure that the budget meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

The government had earlier proposed N201 billion as 2018 budget, but N15 billion was added after receiving inputs from citizens during a town hall meeting.

NAN

October 13, 2017
NAF partners NASENI on training, maintenance

The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) has completed the training of its 55 personnel in various fields at the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure ( NASENI ).

The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Adesanya said the training, which took place at the seven centres in NASENI, was aimed at further raising the level of technical manpower in NAF through collaboration with relevant local institutions.

The director added that the personnel were trained in various specialties, such as Lather Milling Operations and General Maintenance, Laser Cutting, Oxyacetylene Welding.

They were also trained in Networking Tools and Techniques, Repairs of Electronics Circuits, Electronics Testing and Diagnostics, Cabling and Looming Techniques.

“The intensive training in the various specialties lasted for various durations, ranging from 14 to 30 days.

“The training has given the personnel the capacity to reproduce some spares locally as well as carrying out more in-depth repairs of electronics items that were hitherto shipped overseas,” he said.

Accordingly, the partnership was expected to enhance the effectiveness of aircraft maintenance in NAF as well as boosting the Research and Development efforts of the Service.

Adesanya explained that the training would have gulped huge resources in foreign currency, if conducted overseas.

He explained further that the collaboration, afforded the service to complete the training of its 55 personnel with less than N6million.

“The training is in tandem with one of the key drivers of the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, which is “Strategic partnerships with MDAs for enhanced Research and Development”.

“The training was completed last week and the trained personnel have been deployed as appropriate,” Adesanya said.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Al-Makura appoints new HoS

Gov. Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has appointed Mr Abari Aboki as the new Head of Service (HoS) of the state, replacing Mr Thomas Ogiri who retired recently.

The Secretary to the State Government ( SSG ), Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi, announced this in statement made available to newsmen in Lafia on Friday.

Before his appointment Abari served as the Permanent Secretary (PS) in various ministries, including the Ministry of Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Abdullahi stated that the new head of service would also double as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Establishment and Industrial Matters.

“The new Head of Service and the Special Adviser would be sworn in by His Excellency, the Governor, on Tuesday 17th October, 2017 at 11am at the Government House, Lafia,” he said.

The SSG said also that Mr Musa Aloko had been appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board to take over from Mr Clement Odeh.

He said: “the governor wishes to express his appreciation to the outgoing Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board for his services and wishes him well in his future endeavours.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Catholic Bishops call for national unity

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria ( CBCN ) has called for the rededication of the country to God to allow for a nation where everyone will live as united people.

Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, the President of CBCN and Archbishop of Jos, made the call when he led a delegation of Archbishops and Bishops on a courtesy visit Gov. Godwin Obaseki, in Benin on Thursday.

Kaigama said the bishops were in Edo to mark the centenary of Lady Fatima’s Apparition.

He said the catholic clergy would use the opportunity to seek God’s intervention for the country and pray for leaders in positions of authority.

He said that during the First World War, Lady Fatima appeared and preached a message of peace; hence the Catholic Church would use the event to pray for unity of various religious and ethnic groups in the country.

‘’We are in Benin to pray for peace and the reconsecration of the country; that the north and south will see themselves as one,

“Muslims and Christians will live as brothers and sisters and ethnic groups will live in harmony harmony,” he said.

The cleric urged leaders to always engage in good works, supporting it with prayers in order to excel.

Obaseki commended the church for its pivotal role of reconciliation and stabilising the society.

He also expressed delight that the state was hosting another religious conference as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria had held theirs earlier in the year.

The governor used the occasion to seek collaboration with the church to strengthen basic education, healthcare and social welfare services in the state.

Obaseki said that with oil prices no longer what it used to be, Nigeria’s future economy would be knowledge-driven hence Edo was keen on collaborating with the church and other groups interested in contributing to society.

The highlight of the visit was presentation of a statue of the Virgin Mary to the governor as well as prayers offered for his administration, the state and the country.

The Catholic Bishops are attending the 1st National Marian Year and 3rd National Marian Congress in Nigeria in Edo.

NAN

October 13, 2017
FG to open privatised power sector to new investment process – Minister

The Federal Government says the privatised power sector will open up for new investment process to enable new investors invest further in the development of the sector.

The Minister of State for National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said this in Abuja.

Ahmed said the plan by government became necessary given the challenges in the sector.

“The power sector has been privatised, but I am sure that every Nigerian will testify that the privatisation has not worked out well.

“What we set to achieve in terms of the development of the power sector has not yet happened.

“We have now come to a point where government, which is a share holder in power sector, and the investors must come together and decide to cede some of their holdings to the fresh investors .

“The ceding of the holding to the fresh investors will enable them to inject new funds and new expertise to enable us to grow the power sector the way that will serve Nigerians.

She said the process would involve government negotiating with the existing owners and deciding the right level of holding that would go for another round of sale.

She said that the opening of the power sector would also entail the review of tariff “to the extent that we said that the power sector will be opened up to a new investments process.

“It is very clear that no new investor will be coming without having a satisfaction of the level of tariff that will be attained in the industry.

“That will be a discussion that will be heard with the new investors; it is very clear to us that the level of tariff that we have now is not sustainable.

“But where the tariff will go will be a subject of negotiation between government, existing investors, the new investors and the consumers; so we try to attain an optimal level, but there will be an impact on the tariff.“

She, however, said that the starting point for the review of the entire process would be the Distribution Companies ( DISCOs ), adding that distribution of electricity was most pressing.

On government borrowing, she said that government did not go and borrow at 21 or 22 per cent.

According to her, the market actually determines the point of government borrowing .

“The point we are making is that because the government is borrowing heavily, the financial sector is now concentrating on borrowing to government, and the private sector gets little or no attention.

“So government must reduce its level of domestic borrowing to free the space so that the financial sector is able to borrow to the private sector.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Nigeria pledges commitment to eradicate poverty

Nigeria has pledged its commitment to eradicate poverty through various policies of the Federal Government to transform the nation’s economy , particularly agriculture.

Mr Arnold Jackson, Assistant Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council ( NEPC ), stated this while delivering Nigeria’s statement on ‘Eradication of Poverty’ during the general debate at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Jackson said: “One of the policies of government to drastically reduce unemployment and by extension reduce poverty is the N-Power programme, aimed at engaging 500,000 Nigerian youths.

“The N-Power provides a structure for large scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development while linking its core and outcomes to stimulating the larger economy.

“The beneficiaries of the programme will help in diversifying Nigeria’s economy as well as actualising economic and strategic aspirations of achieving food security and self sufficiency.

“No fewer than 150,000 Nigerian young graduates have already been engaged under the N-Power Scheme, while the process of engaging the remaining 350,000 is currently underway”.

According to him, Nigeria is paying special attention to agricultural development in view of its importance to employment generation, women empowerment and poverty eradication.

“Hence, various agricultural schemes have been initiated to create opportunities for women and youth, with the aim of supporting them with necessary infrastructure to attract various levels of agro investments and non-oil export opportunities.

“Some of these schemes include the ‘Green Initiative’, ‘Zero Oil Plan’, ‘Zero to Export’, ‘One State One Product’, to mention a few.

“Government is committed to ensuring that her agricultural advantages are further boosted through technology transfer, export promotion and rural development, which are fundamentally important for agricultural development in Africa.

“Nigeria would continue to encourage other countries to grant market access opportunities to her exportable agricultural and other products,” he said.

Jackson said it was Nigeria’s firm belief that gender equality and women empowerment would be better achieved through the eradication of poverty and the implementation of appropriate economic measures.

“This is why a ‘National Social Protection Policy’ is currently under consideration to address poverty, vulnerability and inequality in the country.

“The Nigerian government has also intensified campaign for the Girl Child education in order to secure their future participation in national development.

“This effort should be emulated globally to improve the situation of women in the context of the 2030 Agenda.

“At the global level Nigeria keys into several initiatives aimed at empowering women and the girl child, such as the ‘She Trades Initiative’ by the International Trade Centre,” he said.

He said Nigeria rightly acknowledged that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions remained the greatest global challenge and an indispensible requirement for sustainable development.

“It is on this premise that Nigeria avows that international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows and enhance asset recovery to foster sustainable development.

“This is a practical sincere commitment to eradicating poverty and by extension ensuring the attainment of sustainable development,” he said.

NAN

October 13, 2017
Nigeria, Morocco signs MoU on agric insurance coverage

The Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending ( NIRSAL ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Moroccan firms to expand agric insurance coverage in the country.

The two firms are Mutuelle Agricole Marocaine d’Assurance ( MAMDA ) and MAMDA Reassurance (MAMDA-RE).

The partnership would also cover the expansion of agricultural insurance products in the country.

Signing the MoU in Abuja on Friday, the Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed, said the partnership was a product of the bilateral agreement signed between President Muhammadu Buhari and King Mohammed VI of Morocco in December 2016.

He noted that the MoU would cover `index based insurance products’ which included weather, pricing and yield to protect farmers’ investments in case of flood, fire or pestilence.

Abdulhameed said the move was to de-risk agriculture, facilitate flow of finance to the sector to diversify the economy, attain self-sufficiency in food production and entrench inclusive economic growth.

According to him, NIRSAL’s target is to move insurance coverage from about 0.5 million to 3.8 million agricultural primary producers to help reduce credit risks, increase lending and investments across the agriculture value chain.

Abdulhameed said the partnership would involve advanced technical training on surveying aggregated farmlands, large commercial and plantations farms and loss assessment methods.

Others are technical training on Geographic Information System (GIS), technology for agriculture and Remote Sensing application in Agricultural Crop Insurance.

“This signing means a lot to the agriculture sector of the country.

“As a risk management corporation for agriculture and agribusiness of the Central Bank of Nigeria, it is important for us to have capacity for risk analysis, management and mitigation.

“For us to be able to deliver on our mandate of enabling the flow of finance and investment into the agriculture value chain, the capacity to do risk analysis, management is a second nature to us.

“What you have seen today is symbolic, NISRAL leveraging the experience of MAMDA, the number one agriculture insurance company of Morocco, to learn the tools and skills of risk management in agriculture.’’

Mr Khalid Abdellaoui, the Deputy CEO of MAMDA and MAMDA-RE, commended the Federal Government and NISRAL for the MoU.

He said the companies were committed to assisting Nigeria to expand and move agriculture insurance forward in the country.

Also speaking, Mr Moha Ou Ali-Tagma, the Morocco Ambassador to Nigeria, said that agriculture was a very important sector in Morocco, contributing over 20 billion dollars annually to the economy.

“For our countries, it is important to develop the agriculture sector. This is a very important step in the long way of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

“It correspondents with the interest of the King Mohammed the VI and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Nigeria can count on Morocco and Morocco can count on Nigeria,’’ Ali-Tagma said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MAMDA, through its subsidiary MAMDA-Re launched in 2014 enables African partners to have access to global reinsurance capacity for agricultural risk.

NAN

October 13, 2017
NDLEA advises Enugu residents against self medication

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) has advised Enugu residents to desist from self medication to avoid drug abuse.

The State Commander of the agency, Dr Anthony Ohanyere, gave the advice on Friday in Enugu in an interview.

Ohanyere observed that some residents of Enugu took delight in patronising open drug shops, especially chemists, to buy drugs without due consultation with a physician or pharmacist.

He noted that out of ignorance, the people indulged in taking controlled drugs, which from medical authorities should be duly prescribed by a health expert.

The commander said that these controlled drugs could be taken only on prescription as they were high risk drugs, which can cause monumental health problems immediately or later to the user.

According to him, some of the effects of abuse of controlled drugs include illusions and hallucinations.

Other effects, he added were; poor perception of time and distance, depression and anxiety, violent behaviuor as well as longer and more intense “trip’’ episodes.

He also identified other effects as slurred speech, disorientation, fatigue, paranoia, shallow respiration, euphoria, and psychosis, drunken behaviour, clammy skin, dilated pupil and well as weak and rapid pulse.

He said drowsiness, respiratory inhibition, increased pulse rate and irritability, blood pressure complications, sleeplessness, coma and finally death could also occasion through drug abuse.

“Our people should stop self medication because of its costly consequences, especially the buying and use of controlled drugs.

“All over the world, it is doctors, dentists and appropriately qualified medical personnel that can dispense controlled drugs due to its adverse effect, if used or applied wrongly.

“On the other hand, only qualified and certified pharmacists that can dispense this category of drugs, because they are knowledgeable in the chemistry and properties of drugs,’’ he said.

It had been a public knowledge that some residents, especially youths, on their own buy some of these controlled drugs especially Tramadol.

NAN

October 13, 2017
BudgIT: Nigeria needs N712bn to bridge healthcare delivery gap

Nigeria needs about N712 billion annually to bridge healthcare financing in the country, a civic technology organization, BudgIT Nigeria has said.

BudgIT, which is interested in ensuring transparency in government budgets, said this at the presentation of a report on Health financing analysis in Ebola affected countries: the readiness of primary healthcare centres ( PHCs ) to tackle diseases, in Abuja on Thursday.

The report looked at financing of healthcare in five Ebola affected countries. The countries include; Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone.

BudgIT’s Lead Partner, Oluseun Onigbinde, said Nigeria can achieve tangible investments if it increases its budget for the health sector.

He said the 15 per cent budgetary provision for the sector was not enough to cater for the health was not big enough.

Onigbinde said: “The budgetary allocation to health should be increased to cater to the needs of Nigerians as the health per capita is relatively low when compared to other African countries.

“If Equatorial Guinea could do $663 per citizen, then Nigeria can improve from $118 to at least $300.

“If the health budget is made to attain at least to 15 per cent of the national budget, as declared by the African Union, an additional sum of N712 (USD 1.9bn) will be needed to give the goal sum of N1.09 tn (USD 3.03bn), and Nigeria can achieve more tangible investments in the sector.”

He urged the Federal Government to spend more money on capital expenditure.

Onigbinde called on state governments to equip PHCs to cater for the needs of citizens in rural areas.

“The federal government should spend more on capital expenditure, as the difference between recurrent and capital is wide. If Nigeria seeks to fund the health sector through borrowing, then transparency and accountability should be adopted.

“Primary Health Centres should be adequately equipped, as these centres are often visited by citizens in rural communities. This will also help to reduce congestion in the tertiary health institutions.

“State governments should strengthen primary healthcare to build resistance.. More advocacy in states because they are responsible for primary health care.

“Teaching hospitals should be equipped with modern equipments to meet the needs of medical practitioners to tackle diseases,” he said.

Onigbinde called on the National Assembly to activate the law which says one per cent of consolidated revenue fund should be allocated to the health sector.

“The National Assembly should put an end to the power play by unreservedly activating the law stipulating that 1 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund must be allocated to the health sector.

“The political will to end health tourism will help the nation grow,” he said.

October 12, 2017
Workers’ strike: NGO urges Kogi.Govt/labour dialogue

Kogi Non-Governmental Organisations Network ( KONGONET ), has appealed to the state government to take urgent steps to end industrial dispute with the organised labour in the interest of the people and the state.

Mr Victor Adejoh, state Chairman of the network, made the appeal in an interview on Thursday in Lokoja.

Adejoh said there was also the need to end the “grand-standing” posture of both government and labour over the three-week old strike by the state workforce to ensure peace and industrial harmony in the state.

“As it stands, the economy of the state is in jeopardy and the worst hit is the ordinary people who both sides claim to be fighting for and defending their interest,” he said.

Adejoh,who said Gov. Yahaya Bello’s government was pragmatic enough to have set out a New Direction policy for the state, however, urged government to take quick steps, through social decision-making process, to make it work.

“There is need to invite all aggrieved actors and institutions back to the dialogue table to resolve the impasse amicably. Both sides must make some sacrifices for the state to move forward.

“It is the traditional role of NGOs and Civil Society Organisations to voice out at times like this.’’

”This is because they know the negative impact lack of public service has on the citizens and the burden of underdevelopment and poverty that arise from such situation.

“We call on government and all stakeholders in all striking institutions in Kogi to stop grand-standing and return to the dialogue table.
“There must be a way out of the current challenges; we must give room for transformation. End the grand-standing now and let Kogi move forward.”

Labour claimed that over 30 per cent of the state workforce was being owed 21 months salary arrears; 20 per cent of which owed between 11 and 18 months.
It also claimed that about 45 per cent of the workers took salaries up till July.

NAN

October 12, 2017